1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500 (Martinsville)
# 1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500 (Martinsville)

The 1996 Goody's Headache Powder 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 48th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 21, 1996, in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to make a late-race pass on Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon to take his 42nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Ernie Irvan and the aforementioned Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | Hooters |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Ironman |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | QVC |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Circuit City |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Spam |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Lowe's |
| 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | Mane 'n Tail |
| 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Hayes Modems |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | PrimeStar, The Family Channel |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Parts America |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | HealthSource RI |
| 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Camel Cigarettes |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | David Blair Motorsports |
| 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cartoon Network, The Flintstones |
| 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Kmart, Little Caesars |
| 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | Coors Light Silver Bullet |
| 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 46 | Stacy Compton | Monroe Racing | Chevrolet | Monroe Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Prodigy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms |
| 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 78 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Diamond Rio |
| 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | Square D, TIC Financial Systems |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | Burger King |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | RCA |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 19, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, April 20, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 26-32 would be decided on time, and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points.

Ricky Craven, driving for Larry Hedrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.344 and an average speed of 93.079 miles per hour (149.796 km/h).

Seven drivers would fail to qualify: Randy MacDonald, Elton Sawyer, Steve Grissom, Dick Trickle, Bobby Hillin Jr., Wally Dallenbach Jr., and Ward Burton.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.344 | 93.079 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 20.359 | 93.010 |
| 3 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 20.362 | 92.997 |
| 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.375 | 92.937 |
| 5 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 20.383 | 92.901 |
| 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.387 | 92.883 |
| 7 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.389 | 92.874 |
| 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.395 | 92.846 |
| 9 | 46 | Stacy Compton | Monroe Racing | Chevrolet | 20.398 | 92.833 |
| 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 20.411 | 92.774 |
| 11 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 20.431 | 92.683 |
| 12 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.444 | 92.624 |
| 13 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.455 | 92.574 |
| 14 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 20.458 | 92.560 |
| 15 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.496 | 92.389 |
| 16 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 20.496 | 92.389 |
| 17 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 20.499 | 92.375 |
| 18 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 20.501 | 92.366 |
| 19 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 20.513 | 92.312 |
| 20 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 20.520 | 92.281 |
| 21 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.521 | 92.276 |
| 22 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 20.524 | 92.263 |
| 23 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.528 | 92.245 |
| 24 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 20.541 | 92.186 |
| 25 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.551 | 92.142 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 26 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 20.498 | 92.380 |
| 27 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.555 | 92.124 |
| 28 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 20.555 | 92.124 |
| 29 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.557 | 92.115 |
| 30 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 20.564 | 92.083 |
| 31 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.583 | 91.998 |
| 32 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 20.595 | 91.945 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 33 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 34 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 35 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 36 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 37 | 78 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | -* | -* |
| 43 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 500 | 164 | running | 180 | $59,245 |
| 2 | 34 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 2 | running | 175 | $57,395 |
| 3 | 13 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 211 | running | 175 | $57,495 |
| 4 | 16 | 98 | Jeremy Mayfield | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 160 | $32,545 |
| 5 | 8 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 12 | running | 160 | $35,195 |
| 6 | 21 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 499 | 0 | running | 150 | $27,395 |
| 7 | 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 146 | $26,295 |
| 8 | 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 142 | $30,185 |
| 9 | 33 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 138 | $24,985 |
| 10 | 15 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 0 | running | 134 | $32,485 |
| 11 | 24 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 130 | $23,320 |
| 12 | 1 | 41 | Ricky Craven | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 498 | 28 | running | 132 | $28,235 |
| 13 | 3 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 497 | 0 | running | 124 | $23,415 |
| 14 | 28 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 496 | 0 | running | 121 | $11,215 |
| 15 | 26 | 1 | Rick Mast | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 496 | 0 | running | 118 | $23,715 |
| 16 | 23 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 496 | 0 | running | 115 | $21,815 |
| 17 | 27 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 495 | 0 | running | 112 | $21,615 |
| 18 | 31 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 494 | 0 | running | 109 | $21,120 |
| 19 | 32 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 494 | 0 | running | 106 | $20,465 |
| 20 | 20 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 493 | 0 | running | 103 | $15,065 |
| 21 | 4 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 493 | 0 | running | 100 | $27,065 |
| 22 | 25 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 493 | 0 | running | 97 | $9,665 |
| 23 | 30 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 490 | 0 | running | 94 | $24,615 |
| 24 | 7 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 480 | 16 | brakes | 96 | $26,965 |
| 25 | 18 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. (R) | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 477 | 0 | running | 88 | $19,965 |
| 26 | 29 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 476 | 0 | running | 85 | $19,565 |
| 27 | 19 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 462 | 0 | fuel pump | 82 | $12,415 |
| 28 | 14 | 12 | Derrike Cope | Bobby Allison Motorsports | Ford | 462 | 0 | running | 79 | $12,215 |
| 29 | 12 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 458 | 0 | running | 76 | $17,115 |
| 30 | 2 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Team SABCO | Pontiac | 445 | 67 | running | 78 | $21,065 |
| 31 | 36 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 372 | 0 | rear end | 70 | $11,565 |
| 32 | 22 | 90 | Mike Wallace | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 368 | 0 | rear end | 67 | $9,065 |
| 33 | 9 | 46 | Stacy Compton | Monroe Racing | Chevrolet | 353 | 0 | brakes | 64 | $9,065 |
| 34 | 35 | 33 | Robert Pressley | Leo Jackson Motorsports | Chevrolet | 343 | 0 | running | 61 | $16,065 |
| 35 | 11 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 341 | 0 | engine | 58 | $9,065 |
| 36 | 17 | 37 | John Andretti | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 338 | 0 | rear end | 55 | $16,065 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 37 | | 78 | Randy MacDonald | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 38 | | 27 | Elton Sawyer | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 39 | | 29 | Steve Grissom | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 40 | | 19 | Dick Trickle | TriStar Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 41 | | 77 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 42 | | 15 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | | | | | |
| 43 | | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
